After a nice batch of Christmas Eve stir fry, a friend and I settled down to a very halfassed game of Showdown using graham cracker and frosting terrain and gummy bear armies.

Christmas Eve, 1944: The North Pole

It's been four long years since the Christmas Wars started and on Christmas Eve, the battle rages on. Gumdroptown is a crucial junction on the road supplying Fuhrer Kringle's green chocolate-covered war machine. The red forces of Father Frost will stop at nothing to take control of it.

A barrage of large-template frosting alerted the green gummy troops of the coming threat. No damage was done as the greens were safe in their jelly-beanbag positions and graham-cracker bunkers. From there, they could see Father Frost's red gummy forces massing beyond the marshmallow tree and snowman forest.

Round 1
The green troops fired at long range for minimal effect, but the green 88mm gumdrop gun sent candy-coated shrapnel and gummy guts into the air. Meanwhile, the reds moved forward relentlessly in a classic gummy wave attack.

Round 2
The green firepower proved more effective this round, sending more reds to the confectioner in the sky. However, the red's most powerful weapon, their T-34 StudMuffin tanks were unfazed. Worse for the greens, more red reserves are seen piling up.

Round 3
Green reserves enter and move forward to reinforce the line and the red forces reach the river. It will take a full round for them to cross the river and they are open to withering hard candy fire as they do so.

Round 4
Counterfire from the reds begins to take its toll on the greens as the two sides enter chocolate grenade range. The front rank of the reds is decimated by the greens and gummy bodies melt away in the sugary waters. Still, the StudMuffins are safe behind cover from the 88mm gumdrops and the red troops behind them are preparing to breach the green line.

Round 5
Gummy-to-gummy combat rages as the two sides close-assault each other. The red leader gets a Joker in initiative and it turns the tide. In a major loss for the greens, both the fixed-position sugar cube tank and the 88mm gumdrop gun are hit by fire from the StudMuffins.

Round 6
The reds grease the treads of their tanks with green gummy guts as they close on the red's jelly-bean sandbag position, finishing it off with well-placed high-explosive marzipan. Meanwhile, the greens retreat to their left flank.

Round 7
The reds celebrate as they roll through the last opposition. StudMuffin rounds fail to hit the elevated green bean-bag position, but rifle fire finishes off the last defenders.

Victory
It's hot cocoa and candy canes for the reds as they celebrate their victory. Der Fuhrer Kringle will have to continue the war without high-fat goodies coming through Gumdroptown.